Professor Layton: Ernest and The Gift
by MattGoldFF
Summary: When Katrielle's birthday is around the corner, Ernest is caught on whether to confess his feelings and ask her on a date, Hopefully it works well for him. [Ernest x Katrielle]
1. Chapter 1 - Morning Spill

**Heyo People! This is my first Professor Layton Fanfiction, Hopefully you guys enjoy. This should be a 5 Part story, so stay tuned for the rest coming soon.**

 _For my thomas fans, sorry I haven't posted much recently, Just went through a break up, so hang with me._

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 _ **Chapter 1 - Morning Spill**_

Ernest sat still in the office. He Always got there early, and left late. He was a complete workaholic, but the workplace was right for him. It had been a whole year since the debacle remarking his true identity, but that part of him was in the past. He was happy where he was. The room was silent other than the sound of the ticking clock.

Before long their new detective had walked in. Ernest was against the idea of letting him join their small gang, but Inspector Hastings and Katrielle had convinced him otherwise. Katrielle was waist deep in finding out what happened to her father, so an extra pair of hands to help with the demand of cases was a good help. He hung up his yellow trench coat and gave Ernest a small wave.

"Morning Ernest." He said walking over to the filing cabinet.

"Morning Matthew, Did you want a coffee?"

"Yes please, that would be terrific." He said.

His skin was slightly darker, and he had short brown curly hair.

"Did you figure out what you were going to give Kat for her birthday?" He asked as he sifted through paperwork.

"No, not yet. I've been too busy."

"Understandable."

"No it's not," Sherl said, seaming to wake up even though he was awake the entire time. The little dog sat up on the small couch. "Pinstripes should have already spent his entire earnings on her, you know how he is."

Matt nodded at the thought. "Well you aren't wrong there," He smiled, "I knew there was something else Sherl, I was just minding my business. We are detectives after all."

Sherl humfed and curled back up into a ball. Ernest came back out with coffee and tea, and an uneasy look on his face.

"What is it pal?" Matt said softly as he grabbed his coffee. Ernest sat down and twiddles his thumbs.

"I want… I want to tell her how I feel. And ask her out to dinner."

"That might not be the best idea." Matt chuckled.

"She'll care more about the food than you." Sherl grumbled.

"Exactly," Matt sighed, "Maybe a date in the park would be better off?"

"Right… But what if she hates me after that."

"She won't."

"But what if she does-"  
"What if she does what?" Katrielle said making a grand entrance.

Ernest turned as red as a tomato. "Oh it's nothing Miss Layton. Nothing at all.

"Alrighty then, Why are you three sitting in the dark?"  
The two detectives then realised they had not opened the curtains, nor turned the lights on. But of them shrugged before they went back to their things.

"Tea Miss?"

"Yes Please Ernest." She said as she took of her coat and hat. Ernest was in awe of her. The way her hair shimmered, and they way her dress curved at her waist with the black bowtie. He was so enthralled that had totally forgotten about the tea he was pouring.

"Um, Ernest?" Matt asked concerned as he scooted his papers out of the way.

"Oh fiddlesticks!" He cussed as he snapped back into reality. Matt got up and got a small towel while Katrielle giggled uncontrollably.

"Good one Pinstripes." Sherl laughed.

Matt helped Ernest clean up the mess, though it had soaked into the tablecloth.

Before long Inspector Hastings came into the room.

"Inspector! What can we do for you?" Matt asked straightening his suspenders.

"We need your help on a case, It seems right up your alley Kat." He said catching his breath, he had obviously run there.

"Alright Kat, Lets go." Matt said grabbing his coat back off the stand, and throwing Kat her's. "Ernest, You should do what sherl suggested this morning," Giving him a wink, "Sherl can help you."

Both were about to protest, but both Kat and Matt had already left.

"This is going to be fun." Sherl said sarcastically.


	2. Chapter 2 - Shopping with 'Ernest'

**Chapter 2 - Shopping with 'Ernest'**

Ernest and Sherl walked through Chancer lane, and admired all the small shops. The smell of pastries and meals wafted through the air.

"What should I get her Sherl?"

"You know her best Pinstripes, What would she want?"

"I'd say food, but that's too obvious, and she'd eat it quick smart." Ernest contemplated. He scratched his greeny-blue hair as he thought. "Maybe a Puzzle?"

"That would work, you know how much she loves those."

"But how would I make one that she hasn't seen before?"

"Maybe you could ask her out with the puzzle, Make the answer how you feel." Sherl Suggested. Suddenly inspiration struck Ernest and he began to run back to the agency. "Wait up pinstripes! My paws don't take me that quickly!"

When they got back to the Agency, Ernest immediately began to write something out on paper.

"That quickly?" Sherl said, still huffing and puffing.

"It will be like a treasure hunt, all i have to do is leave clues all around town."

Katrielle and Matt came back to find the agency empty.

"They must still be shopping…" Matt said as he took the dirty tablecloth of the table.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Katrielle asked randomly.

"What?" Matt asked. He was utterly confused.

"He's been acting funny recently… and I mean more than usual."

"He seems like normal to me."

"Ernest doesn't spill tea on himself." Katrielle chuckled. She was certain something was up, and she had a hunch Matt knew what it was.

"Not enough sleep?" Matt suggested, putting the new tablecloth on the table. Katrielle could see matt knew what it was, but he wouldn't tell her.

"Why wont you tell me?"

"Tell you what?

"What's going on with Ernest, I know you were talking about it this morning."

Matt sighed and seemed to give in. "It's about your birthday." He said. Watching his words carefully as if not to spoil a surprise.

"Alright." Kat said, she was a gentlewoman after all, and she knew not to pry more. Her birthday was tomorrow, so she wouldn't have to wait long. Just then Ernest and Sherl Returned, and Ernest had the biggest grin on his face.

"Find something?" Matt asked.

"Kind of, you'll see." He said before disappearing into the kitchenette and making some tea. Matt looked at sherl for reassurance and he gave him a nod. Before Katrielle could get any ideas, ernest struck up conversation.  
"Miss Layton, What was the case?"

"An Old lady had been stolen from, the culprit turned out to be her long lost son."

"Interesting." He said. There was a proudness in his voice, either that or he was tougher.

"Yes, very."

The light was fading outside as the sun set.

"Golly, they day is over already. You best be heading home Miss, It's going to be a big day for you tomorrow." He chuckled in his cute way. Kat smiled before throwing on her coat.

As she walked down Chancer Lane to her apartment, she pondered. What has Ernest gotten me for my birthday?


	3. Chapter 3 - The Puzzle

**Hey Guys, Got some Puzzle Solving for you here, The last part of the Puzzle should come out soon. Hope you all enjoy.**

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Katrielle arrived at the Agency. She was smiling ear to ear, as she could smell something magnificent coming from beyond the door. She opened the door to be met with all three of her colleagues and Inspector Hastings standing around large stack of pancakes.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all shouted. They began to sing, and even Sherl barked along. Her heart was warmed, as they cheered.

"Sorry there's no cake, I thought pancakes would suffice."

"Yes Matt! Pancakes are amazing." The three detectives and dog watched as Kat went into her food trance. She was almost salivating over the food until Hastings snapped her out of it.

"Kat, it's a little present from us down at the yard. You 'elped us catched some nasty perps."

He handed her a small briefcase, inside were a few puzzles to keep her time. She smiled. "Thank you Inspector, I'll put it all to good use."

She put it on her desk before grabbing some of Matt's pancakes. "Shame I can't stay, Work's still goin'." Hastings said as he took his leave.

Katrielle looked up to see Ernest looking quite troubled. "What's wrong Ernest?"

"Nothing Miss, just a bit nervous…" He said before handing her a card. "It's a card of purchase from the Lipski brothers. You and Matt should go down and get it."

Kat noticed the urgency in his voice and played along.

"Alright Matt, Let's go."

"You're Not coming Ernest?" Matt said as he grabbed his coat.

"No there's something I have to do here." He said, matt taking the hint. And without another word they left for the bakery.

The Arrived at the bakery and walked up to the front desk to have Aleks Lepski come up to them.

"Good Morning, How can i help?"

"Hey Aleks, Ernest gave me this card and said to pick it up." She handed him the small blue card.

"No, Yes. We have this for you." He said, running into the back. He came out with a small note.

"Here you are, Gift from Ernest."

"Is this all?" She asked.

"No, Yes. That is all he wanted to give."

"Thank you Alecks."

"See you soon." He said smiling ear to ear.

Both detectives walked outside to see what the note said. Katrielle Read it out loud.

' _To the base of where the crumbs laid, bring forth the next clue to this escapade.'_

"What could it mean? It's obviously telling us where to go."

"Big Ben!" Katrielle exclaimed randomly, before dashing to her bike.

"What?!" Matt said utterly confused. Katrielle didn't answer she was too involved in the mystery.

They both arrived at Big Ben, and Kat lead them to the east side of the tower. Long Behold there was a note attached to a park bench. The note was again cryptic. This time Matt read out the note.

' _Your Next clue is familiar, but second to last. There is a septuple of guardians, each with a letter. The power of each not measured by age, but another measure of time, one only us would know. However there is a catch. The Clue is a step behind your observation.'_

"Septitude means Seven." Matt pointed out. "What does he mean by another measure of time.

"I think it's referring to the Seven Dragons."

"I agree." Matt said stuffing the letter in his pocket. "Guess it's time to pay them a visit."

The two detectives went to each Dragon and were given a letter. Literally, One Letter. Eventually they had all seven Letters and they sat at a bench. They laid them down. They were small pieces of paper, with a large Letter of the alphabet in the middle and the name of the Dragon printed in small writing at the bottom.

They had:

 _\- 'B' From Mayor Lowinda_

 _\- 'F' From Madame Double_

 _\- 'Z' From Taboras Lloyd_

 _\- 'D' From Grant Sloanes_

 _\- 'O' From Liza Right_

 _\- 'H' From Phineas Barone_

 _And finally and Arrow pointing right, From Mr Fullhold._

The two Detectives looked Tirelessly at the bunch of letters.

"What does he mean by this time thing." Matt asked.

"Maybe The order we met them in?" Katrielle suggested. She began to shuffle the letters. But she only ended up with ' _BHFODZ -'_.

She studied the puzzle. Contemplating.

"What about the last part… ' _The Clue is a step behind your observation.'_ Maybe try going one letter down in the alphabet. She pulled out her notebook. She began to mumble "The B to an a… O to an N…" Finally she had the clue spelled out.

' _AGENCY -'_

"But that's where we started." Matt said confused.

"But its where Ernest is, he must want to give me the final clue."

"That would make sense," Matt said as they hurried back to the agency.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Final Clue

Katrielle and Matthew got back to the Agency to see Ersest sitting on the sofa twiddling his thumbs.

"Are you going to give us the final clue or do we have to find it?" She said rather excitedly, she was completely absorbed in the mystery.

"It's on your desk along with your present." He smiled, he looked rather worried though.

Kat raced over to the small present, covered with a sealed envelope. She opened it as Matt took of his coat and sat down, pouring himself a coffee. She began to read the letter out loud

"I hope you've enjoyed the present so far. I quite enjoyed making it. Your actual present is a coupon for the bakery so you can actually buy as many treats as you want… well maybe not that many…" They all laughed at Ernest's Humor. "But I know you're here for the puzzle, and here is is."

' _There once was a boy in blue, when faced with grief he lost what to do. The Girl in red, got rid of his dread, and helped him through his blues. He began to feel for this girl in red, but when faced with choice he stared to dread. Should he tell her, Maybe she knows. Even if, would it bring more woes. But he swallowed his courage and stepped to the plate, and asked the girl on a date. Dinner at 7, was a place in heaven, but what did the girl say?'_

Katrielle was confused. She looked over at mat to see him grinning ear to ear. "Have you already figured it out?"

"I can't answer this one." he said simply.

She again was stumped. "Oh come on, Even I have it figured out." Sherl barked. She then looked over at Ernest, He was looking down at his shoes, but then she noticed it. Blue. He was wearing blue head to toe. Then It all clicked into place.

"Are you asking me to dinner Ernest?" She said.

"Uh… Yes I am." He said, Eyes not wavering of his shoes. She got up, walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek. She looked him right in the eye.

"That sounds great." She said.

Ernest's Face lit up like christmas. His heart went from in his stomach to his throat.

"Really?!" He said pinching himself.

"Of Course," She Giggled. "You're the best present a detective could ask for." She pinched his ear before walking to the door. "I'll be at your apartment at Seven then."

"…Okay… Where are you going?" Ernest asked struggling to get is words out.

"To the Bakery, to get my sweets." She said before leaving.

Ernest felt like he was on a cloud of air. He walked over to the couch and laid down, and began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Good Job buddy." Matt said, grabbing more case files to complete.

"Look at him, Completely head over wheels." Sherl said.

"You should go home and clean up. Not to mention cook food." Matt said smiling. "I'll lock up, you have tonight to worry about."

"Golly," he said trying to calm himself. "Thank you Matt."

Ernest left in his stride, he one lovely layton to look after.

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 _ **Sorry for the Short Chapter, I thought this one was cute. The next one will be a longer one though, and the last in this small story. Also Tomorrow is Christmas day for me, so I wanted to say to those who celebrate it,** Merry Christmas. See you soon people._


	5. Chapter 5 - Dinner Date

Ernest had completely cleaned his apartment. It was usually pretty tidy anyway, but he wanted it to be completely spit spot. He jumped as the little timer on the counter buzzed. He ran and pulled the quiche out of the oven. The smell of egg and bacon swept through the room. It was a lovely smell, one Ernest enjoyed. He then went to his room and got changed. His pants were fine, but he took of the suspenders and put a new shirt on. This one was a dark blue, and a tad shiny. He never wore it much, but it did make him seem a little less nerdy. As he put on his red bowtie he heard a knock at the door, and he went to answer it, jittering considerably.

As he opened the door he saw her. She had another red dress on, one similar to what she usually wore, except without the bow tie. Though she hadn't done anything special, except maybe freshen up her hair a little, Ernest was completely gobsmacked by her beauty.

"Golly Miss... You look stunning." He said baffled.

"Thank you Ernest, you look great too." She said, smiling ear to ear. He realised he was blocking the door, and stepped aside so she could enter.

She placed her coat she had been holding in her arms on the small table near the door.

"What's for dinner?" She asked. Ernest laughed.

"Sherl was right, the food is your number one priority."

"Haha, No Ernest. You're my Number one priority."

She got closer to him, and grabbed his bowtie. He froze. His Heart racing at her compliment. Suddenly he smelt burning coming from the kitchen.

"Oh Fiddlesticks! The Dressing!" He ran over to the pot to find the Dressing slightly burnt. Nothing to intense, Just tasted a but charred.

"Hope you like smokey things." He sighed.

"It'll be fine Ernest, Let's eat."

They sat down and Katrielle entered her 'Food State', completely captivated by the food.

"It Looks Lovely Ernest!" She said Excitedly.

"I hope you like it." He said smiling. They began to eat, but shortly into their meal they looked at eachother. They continued to stare, but it wasn't odd. It felt natural. They both watched as they blushed instinctively. They then giggled and went back to their food, eventually striking up conversation. They Laughed long and hard about nearly everything work related.

"You staring at me so hard, you split your tea was funny." She laughed. Ernest Blushed.

"It isn't my Fault you're so distracting."

This time it was Kat's Turn to blush. They Continued to talk until snow started to fall over the moonlit night.

"I should get going." She said. "We still have work tomorrow."

"Golly It is late, How about I walk you home?"

"Sure!" She said as they threw on their coats.

As they walked to her apartment, they continued to chat as the snow softly fell. It began to become noticeable by the time they got to her doorstep.

"I had a great time tonight Miss Layton, We should do it again soon."

"Couldn't agree more… However I have one request for now on." She said waving a finger in the air.

"What is it?" He asked nervously.

"You call me Kat from now on." She Smiled.

"Oh ok, will do miss… I mean Kat!" He said, facepalming. They both laughed, Katrielle more than Ernest. But suddenly the laughing stopped and they had locked eyes again. This time Kat took a step towards ernest and grabbed his bowtie. He was practically irresistible. She Leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, just enough to fluster him… and it worked. Ernest was completely overloaded in the moment, and while it was only a few seconds, it felt a lot longer for him. As she drew back, she saw Ernest completely flustered at what had just happened, stuttering for words. She giggled, it was just too cute.

"Goodnight Ernest. See you tomorrow." She said as she opened her apartment door and went inside.

"Goodnight Katrielle."

As Ernest walked home, he felt as though he was walking on air. He had the girl of his dreams finally. I wonder what the future will hold?

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 **Hey Guys, Hope you enjoyed the Story. I plan on making this into a series. This being the first book. I have some plans so stay with me. See you all very Soon.**


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